A warm welcome back

Mea culpa.

In the recent week I have been very quiet on this blog, and the main culprit is... me. Too busy to fulfil my duty to unload my brain from all these things that amaze me. But this state of intense activity is great as it has allowed me, on three continent to accumulate a nice little backlog of thoughts that I am at sharing with you in the next few months. Spain, Canaries Islands, Washington state, Tunisia, London, Munich... were indeed all on the agenda of my last trips.

One thing though that I am keen to share immidiately is how gloomy an airport can, especially when your luggage get lost, a fellow passenger has a heart attack and dies in the plane, or that you have a long transfer and not a single penny/euro/dirham/cent to offer a bit of entertainment (all true stories I am afraid).

That is only if you don't arrive in the London Heathrow Terminal 5, where T-Mobile recently performed another of their flashmobs:

I don't know you, but the warmest and most personalised welcome I have received in an airport in the recent years was closer to "Passenger Cedric, passenger Cedric, please contact security regarding your unexpectedly damaged luggage".

Flash Mob(ile phones)

Let me dwell a bit more on this marketing campaign orchestrated by T-Mobile and their agency Saatchi&Saatchi for the third time (first they danced, then they karaoke-ed, and now they mix). Flash Mobilisations consists in secretely organising a congregation of people to share a moment of pure random fun. Organisers seed the remour using the web, texts to friends, and keeping the details secrets until the very last minute... letting the word spread until it is the right time. Famous flash-mobilisations included pillow batlles in front of the Tour Eiffel, farewell posh cocktails in the London's Circle Line tube as this itinary stopped being a circle...

Of course, T-Online's are slightly less amateur and more polished than the genuine one, but heck... that is great fun to watch and eventually participate. You just have to be at the right time in the right place!


To read further:

• In this article Burger King made burger discovery an ethnologic experiment.
• In this article, Ford makes you find the hidden arts scattered around london

French lesson...

Two stand up comedian on French stereotypes... No doubt my country of origin is a great source of inspiration:

The Saturday Shot #2: kinky nun

Too busy these days to keep up with the cultural differences happening around me, I have shamelessly forgotten to pay my tribute to this blog... and to my prior commitments to publish more regularly.

So wikthout further a due, here is a picture captured this week end in a shop down the road. This nun was doing her groceries and it seems that she had some kinky plans ahead... Her figure reminded me of this cartoon character, Soeur Marie-Therese des Batignoles.

The Saturday Shot #1: scotts in the park

Inspired by fellow blogger Fabienne, I have decided to publish every Saturday a new picture...
This one was shot today, Saturday, in Hyde Park as a Scottish band was entertaining the crowd of passers-by, teaching them how to move on the sound of "Up-North" music.

I want to marry you, Bitch

Walking around Notting Hill and Maida Vale, we bumped into this shop... Bemused by the sign, I was wondering who one earth would buy some bride cakes from such a bakery. Then I realised that the owners must have identified a brilliant market niche: the ultimate, and delicious way to tell the groom that his future wife is a bitch!

(NB: Les Couilles du Chien translates into The Dog's balls/testicles)


To read further:

• Good signs, an article on how signs in a street reveal your very own culture
• Forbidding is forbidden, or how a sign brings us back to May 68 and its street philosophers.

Despite us...

Mein Freund.

France and Germany have had a serious history for centuries. Every now and then the troops from one side of the border got across and marched forward, before being pushed back. As a result, the region separating the two archrivals, the Alsace, turned French or German depending on who won the last battle.

This part of France faced some strange situations, and this short animation by Sophie Nau describe with much emotion the fate of two French brothers who had to join the Nazi ranks, despite them. Enjoy.

Never stopping evolution

And... Action.

I have already shared on this blog a few examples of stop-motion, a creative concept which consists in recreating movement by a succession of still images.

The following short video brings it another level. This time, the pictures are not capturing an object which would be moved a frame at a time by a dilligent director. Way too easy.

No, this time, every frame is a different graffiti. A cartoon where pages are swapped for city walls, buildings, streets, etc. And what a story line: the theory of evolution...



"Big Bang, Big Boom" is in my eyes nothing but a heroic creation by graphic designer BLU and a bunch of graffiti artists from Italy. It has been produced over the course of a year and you can easily understand why. One frame at a time, ca. 24 frames per second (probably less in that case since stop motion does not replicate real film fluidity), 9'55'' in total... That is a lot of pictures and a lot of spraying.

Only one word come to my mind: bravo.


To read further:

• Bunn-invasion, an article on the usage of stop motion and street art.
• Around the World in 80 seconds, or how to travel through the lens of a camera
• Still moving, creative things done with a still camera

Moving anthem

Continuing on the football theme, this ad from Umbro really struck a chord, and touched me... Is this a sign that I am starting to blend into my host culture? Com'on you England.

To read further:

• International FC, an article on how football is leveraged by advertisers around the globe
• Footballs, or what if streaking was no longer a crime
• God save the King (Pele), or when people on a pitch can move you very deeply

Logo, No logo

Moment of revelation.

After the photo exhibition I took part in a few months back, I received some proofs in a bag from FujiFilm. The plastic bag has been sitting in the middle of my living room for weeks, and something was bothering me without I could put my finger on it. And one day I took a step back, literally.


That is when I saw the truth... This bag was in reality a value judgement about my photographic work. Three green letters and I realised what people may think about my pictures! No wonder I prefer usually other photo brands like Ilford or Kodak.

Logo are like words.

I obviously hope that Fuji's tactlessness is not intentional, but the mere reflect of a lack of international acumen. There are numerous examples of such design bugs like the Saab 900 SE for example. This was a classical Scandinavian car but also a questionable choice for a model name: once spelled out on the back of the cab you could clearly read that the car was a 900se (goose). I wonder if that was some kind of a private joke when the Germans re-baptised the VW Golf into VW Rabbit for the US market...

But some logos are just brilliant. They convey smartly some messages that are subliminally influencing the eye of their viewers. Let's share today some of these hidden secrets:

Let's start with a reference to my dear Alps. Hidden in the rocky alpine landscape of this famous chocolate packaging can be found the silhouette of a bear standing on its back paws... A tribute to Basel, the original city of Toblerone.

Galeries Lafayette is a department store in Paris. The desire of this megastore was to establish itself as an iconic landmark, a synonym of the Parisian touch. That is probably what inspired the graphic designer to turn the two "t" into a graphical representation of the Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of Paris.

"Carrefour" means the crossroad in French. It is also a major retail chain in the world, the place where the offer meets the demand with a tremendous choice of goods... This encounter was represented in the logo where a white C for Carrefour is enshrined in two arrows, a red one pointing to the left and a blue one pointing to the right. It may take you a while to see the C (it took me 30 years) until you see it, and then you cannot see anything else but that letter.

Whilst talking about arrows, here are two other famous examples. The first one is FedEx, which is a company that goes forward whatever it takes to deliver your parcels. Remember that super long commercial with Tom Hanks called Cast Away (well, Robert Zemeckis may argue it is a movie... for me, it is a 143' long tribute to the courier company). Anyway to embody this determination, an arrow is hidden in the logo. Right here between the E and the X.

Amazon too has got an arrow in his logo. This one is not hidden, but it conveys a strong message. More than an arrow it's a smile, and a smile that brings you from A to Z, implying that the extensive catalogue of goods and services offered by the Seattle-based company is a source of consumer joy.

And finally what is probably my preferred logo story. The TGV, or Train Grande Vitesse (High Speed Train), is the jewel of the French railways. Super fast, it is the exact opposite of a snail, the symbol of slow motion by excellence... Again, this idea can be literally visualised, and if you reverse the fluid and forward projected logo, then a snail logotype appears in front of you.

As you can imagine, I love signs and symbols. And logos are nothing but signs applied a commercial message. If you want to unlock more mysteries behind brand logos I recommend these two articles (1, 2). Until then, check out around you, there may be some subliminal messages influencing your behaviours.

To read further:

• Sublim subliminal, an previous article on hidden images and their influence
• My photofolio on Flickr, also known as a bag of poo according to Fujifilm

Quote of the day

"To err is human, but to really screw things up it takes a computer" Anonymous

Game is on

The new Nike commercial specially produced for the World Cup ahead of us. Why that ad here? Well a very loose relationship with my editorial line: you see different nations celebrating football glories with their own style... Or simply because it is well executed. I like the self-mockery of Rooney and Canavaro. Enjoy.



To read further:

• International FC, an article on how football is leveraged by advertisers around the globe
• Footballs, or what if streaking was no longer a crime
• God save the King (Pele), or when people on a pitch can move you very deeply

British food for thoughts

I have already touched base a few times on this series of funny, caustic videos from David Mitchell, the British standup comedian who drops some acid on the weird traits of Britishness... This one is about one of my favourite topics: food. So enjoy.



To read further:

• Victim of your origins, a rant at old people and the tribute we pay to them
• Language on a life line, a rant at Gaelic and natural selection of languages
• Be Welsh, a rant at... the sheep loving Welsh!

Views of Chicago

Here is a short selection of the numerous pictures I shot whilst being stranded in Chicago, Illinois. Enjoy the slideshow, and feel free to comment:

More of my pictures can be seen on Flickr.


To read further (or in that instance, view further):

• Japanese pictures: a bunch of pictures from my 3-week trip across the Japanese archipelago
• Still moving, an article on photographies that can move you by being innovative (including some of my panographies)
• Found it, a note on street art including my own personal collection of street art pictures.

Faith for sale

The United States of America: home of liberalism, shopping channels, advertorials... Here everything is for sale. I was warned. And yet it struck me to see this "for sale" sign posted by this Chicago church.
In my eyes, churches are a symbol of faith, a cultural patrimony, and certainly not an asset to market. But I tried to picture the associated advert, and came up with something that could read like:

For Sale because of worshiper defection. The property offers a large cross-shape floor plan with spacious, though gregarious living accommodations. Great opportunity to elevate. Small interior swimming pool and wine cellar. Ideal for social gathering. Comes fully furnished for large receptions, though guests would need to accommodate with wooden benches. Former landLord could offer repayment through Devil Soul Bank. Visits on Sundays.

Tough to say if I would manage to sell this property... But if I were not, I could always try my luck on eBaysilica!


To read further:

• Yes I will, an article on the over-used conventions of wedding ceremonies
• Smile my brother, smile. An article on an artistic happening in Middle East

A mountain dweller in the Great Lake valley

After Seattle earlier this year, I have had the opportunity to discover another iconic American city, Chicago Illinois. This town has accompanied my childhood through my television set. Michael Jordan or Al Bundy have introduced me to the Windy City, but through their own peculiar angles. A few years later, it was my turn to walk the banks of the Lake Michigan and to discover a few more differences to share in this blog.

1. It's all about food. As you will read below Chicago boasts some iconic dishes such as deep pan pizza or hot dogs. And yet the city most interesting sandwich is not available to eat. Walking down the streets you could be amazed by the little amount of traffic for such a big conurbation. Avenues should be packed with cars and cabs, and yet I found the streets almost peaceful... Until I realised that the traffic that was not visible on the surface was happening under the upper crust of the city. In some places, you can encounter up to three levels of traffic, two of which are semi-underground. What is even more amazing is that these underground streets happen to go under the skyscrapers or even through buildings like this four-lane highway that literally goes through the former central post-office. I am calling that the urban sandwich.
2. Emasculating pizzas. Whilst writing about food, let me close the topic by sharing a painful experience... One of these nights I went out with a couple female colleagues and we landed in one of the local culinary landmarks: Giordano's. When my friends suggested to share a deep pan pizza, I hesitated but behaved... and in the end agreed (you certainly don't want to be seen as an ogre by your colleagues). We opted for what sounded at that time a very reasonable, medium-sized pizza that the three of us would share. "Easy job" my gut said, already thinking about a complementary dessert... until the bespoke pizza landed on our table. In spite of my legendary Italian cravings and the precious help of my two sidekicks, we never saw the end of the cheesy dish that was taunting us. I felt I failed my peers. This was an indent into my manhood! In my defense, who else than Chicago-based Italians call a pizza a 5cm-thick quiche comprising of 0.5cm of crust, 4cm of melted mozzarella cheese and 0.5cm of tomato sauce and other toppings? Seriously! I must confess that a few days later, I had another go at it... On my own this time. I conquered the small-sized pizza all by myself, and regained some self-esteem.
3. The magic box. In the US, everything is big. I am always amazed by the skyscrapers. After my first flight was canceled I went to our local office to work. It is located in the Aon Center, a 346m high building in the financial district (the third highest building in Chicago). One evening, as I was leaving the office I headed towards the elevators to see a guy stepping in. I rushed, but the doors closed right in front of me. I pushed frantically the button and the same lift opened... Empty. The guy before me had vanished. I suddenly remembered two things: first some elevators are super fast and second Houdini was half American. It was impossible for the lift to have gone down, unloaded its passenger, and returned to the 31st floor in a couple seconds. That left us with the second option: the lift was magic. I felt like a kid... I knew there was a trick, a hidden panel, a sliding door, something. But I could not find it. And trust me I could not refrain from knocking at the walls to see if I could crack it. The solution was revealed to me when we stopped at ground level and whilst the doors remained closed the robotic voice announced "Unloading lower deck". In this massive building, not only do you have a myriad of lifts to cater for the 83 floors, but they are also double-decked to load twice more people each time! The mystery of the magic lift was solved.
4. Bears or bulls. I am a sports-fan, but I also appreciate symbols and economics... A weird mix I would say, but which proved handy in Chicago. When looking for some entertainment I was struck by the fact that the city was home of two major franchises, the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Bears. These two animals are also the symbols of the stock markets: the bear represents a conservative, wait-and-see trend, whilst the Bull refers to a buoyant stock frenzy. Chicago being also a reputable finance markets with its stock exchange, its mercantile exchange... I could not really fathom if the two were connected in a subtle in-joke at the sport business and the millions of dollars transacted every season. And what to think about the White Sox... Is this hope that a bright colour will encourage Santa Claus to finally drop some good players in the local baseball team stockings?

That's it for now, but there will be probably more since my flights get canceled one after the other. That will leave me a bit more time to explore in greater depth this city and its local oddities.

To Read further:

• A mountain dweller in the Lake Washington Valley. An article about Seattle.
• Live to eat or eat to live, or a couple thoughts on food and what it says about you.
• Shoot the stereotypes, a note on NBA stars and their social engagement.